Going into the second weekend of Southeastern Conference play, Patrick Murphy likes where his team is sitting.

And why not? The University of Alabama is ranked No. 9 and is in sole possession of first place in the SEC standings.

The Crimson Tide was the only one of 10 teams that opened league play last weekend to sweep all three games to start out the conference season.

“I told our team we’re right there with everybody,” said Murphy, Alabama’s coach. “I’ve watched scores from all over the country. We haven’t played our best game yet, we haven’t pitched our best game yet, we definitely have not had our best offensive game yet. When we’re really coming together, when the weather warms up, I think it’s going to be a lot of fun — but we need to keep building on that.”

Ole Miss upset top-ranked Florida last weekend.

“I think the strength of the league is evident when the team picked to finish 13th goes to Gainesville (Fla.) and beats the preseason favorite and No. 1 team in the country, gives them their first loss,” Murphy said.

The only players on UA’s team to have played at Ole Miss are seniors: Alabama closed out the 2011 regular season in Oxford, Miss., and returned the next week for the SEC Tournament.

With the expansion of the league to 13 teams for softball (Vanderbilt does not field a team), teams now only make four conference road trips per season. For the underclassmen, this will be a chance to play at a new venue.

“I’m excited,” sophomore outfielder Haylie McCleney said.

“The things I’ve heard about Ole Miss, the campus in general, are great. With a new park, you want to get used to the stadium, the atmosphere. It will be nice to get in the swing of things and settle in, what is the view like from home plate, from center (field), the lights, the sun, if there are any issues like that.”

The Alabama team learned of Ole Miss’ upset of Florida when the score was announced at UA’s home game last Friday.

“That’s how we all found out,” McCleney said. “When they announced it we heard the stands go crazy, so that obviously got us excited, too.

“That gets our attention going into Ole Miss. They’re going to give us their best game. We’ve got to be ready for them.”

<p><b>ALABAMA SOFTBALL</p><p>No. 9 Alabama at Ole Miss</b></p><p>Where: Ole Miss Softball Complex in Oxford, Miss.</p><p>Schedule: Today at 6 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m.</p><p>Records: Alabama 21-4, 3-0 SEC; Ole Miss 16-10, 1-2 SEC</p><p>Radio: 95.3 FM</p><p></p><p>Going into the second weekend of Southeastern Conference play, Patrick Murphy likes where his team is sitting.</p><p>And why not? The University of Alabama is ranked No. 9 and is in sole possession of first place in the SEC standings. </p><p>The Crimson Tide was the only one of 10 teams that opened league play last weekend to sweep all three games to start out the conference season.</p><p>“I told our team we're right there with everybody,” said Murphy, Alabama's coach. “I've watched scores from all over the country. We haven't played our best game yet, we haven't pitched our best game yet, we definitely have not had our best offensive game yet. When we're really coming together, when the weather warms up, I think it's going to be a lot of fun — but we need to keep building on that.”</p><p>Ole Miss upset top-ranked Florida last weekend.</p><p>“I think the strength of the league is evident when the team picked to finish 13th goes to Gainesville (Fla.) and beats the preseason favorite and No. 1 team in the country, gives them their first loss,” Murphy said.</p><p>The only players on UA's team to have played at Ole Miss are seniors: Alabama closed out the 2011 regular season in Oxford, Miss., and returned the next week for the SEC Tournament. </p><p>With the expansion of the league to 13 teams for softball (Vanderbilt does not field a team), teams now only make four conference road trips per season. For the underclassmen, this will be a chance to play at a new venue.</p><p>“I'm excited,” sophomore outfielder Haylie McCleney said. </p><p>“The things I've heard about Ole Miss, the campus in general, are great. With a new park, you want to get used to the stadium, the atmosphere. It will be nice to get in the swing of things and settle in, what is the view like from home plate, from center (field), the lights, the sun, if there are any issues like that.”</p><p>The Alabama team learned of Ole Miss' upset of Florida when the score was announced at UA's home game last Friday.</p><p>“That's how we all found out,” McCleney said. “When they announced it we heard the stands go crazy, so that obviously got us excited, too.</p><p>“That gets our attention going into Ole Miss. They're going to give us their best game. We've got to be ready for them.”</p><p>Reach Tommy Deas at tommy@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0224.</p>